Float switch



w. H. BLAKELY FLOAT SWITCH Filed June I5. 1927 March 10, 1931.

March l0, 1931. l w H BLAKELY 1,796,074

FLOAT SWITCH Filed June 5. 1927 3 Sheets-.Sheet 2 l INV% ATTORNEY March lo, 1931. w BLAKELY FLOAT SWITCH f' H Filed June s. 1927 s shuts-smet s A TT ORNEY Patented Mar. 1G, 1931 FFCE WILLIAM H. BLAKELY, QF TULSA, OKLAHOHA FLOAT SVITCI-.

Application filed June 3, i232?. Serial No. 196,337.

My invention consists in new and useful Figs. 5 and 6 are details of the insulation improvements in electric liquid tank gauges, used in the container.

and while primarily intended for use on gaso- F 7 is an enlarged detail view in section, l ugn the outer edge of the container iine tanks, for motor vehicles, it may he ein- "l i ployed with equal advantage in connection shown in F ig. l., showing the means for makwith other tanks, such as oil storage tanks, ing contact between the electrical elements gasoline filling stations, plants and rein said container. tineries. F S is a diagram-matic view of a record lt is the object o my invention to provide ing meter, showing the wiring to the con- 10 an electrically operated liquid gauge adapted tainer, see also Fig. 2. 50

to be used for measuring gasoline and other Fig. 9 is a view in elevation oi' the coninllammahle and highly volatile liquids, tainer, partly 1croken away. which will eliminate all lire hazards heretoll ig. l0 is a sectional view taken on line l'ore prevalent in the use or gauges of 'this 1-1 of F ig. 9.

type, and in designing my improved device, ig. 11 is a section taken on line 2 2 of 9" i have taken into consideration, simplicity F ig. 9.

oi' construction and cost of manufacture. Fig. 12 shows plan and sectional views of Vith my improved construction, the points the means for connecting the device to a tank.

of electrical contact are entirel sealed o 4igs. 13 and le are detail views of the with mercury against gases which might enter mercury er liquid seal. l

the chamber containing said electrical parts. Fig. 15 shows a plan and sectional view of A further advantage et my invention is the the cuter race contact. ready acces ihility of all parts for repairs Fig. 16 is a detail view of the mercury seal and adjustments. protector. A still further object of my invention is t Fig. 17 shows plan and sectional views of provide a device which will automatically the innerl race contact.

warn the operator when the tank is about to Figs. 18 and 19 are sectional and perspechecome empty or te overflow, which may he tive views respectively, showing the` conaccomplished either hy the use of a series of struction of my improved gauge for use in lights or bells, electrically connected with the pressure tanks.

mechanism. Fig. 20 is a view taken on line 1 1 of Fig.

TVith the ahove and other objects in view 19. which will appear as the descriptionproceeds, Fig. 21 is a reduced section taken on line my invention consists in the novel features FHF of Fig. 19. herein set forth, illustrated in the accompany- Fig. 22 is a detail view of a shaft conneeing drawings, and more particularly pointed tion, and y out in the appended claims. Fig. 23 is a view of the operating shalt Referring to the drawings, in which nuprovided with a collar for sealing the shaft merals of ike character designate similar aperture. parts throughout the several views, In the drawings, T designates a gasoline Fig. 1isalongi""dinal sectional View ofthe or other liquid tank provided in its upper upper poi-tien of my gauge placggl @n a. gasosuriace with an aperture having an upwardline tank. ly extending cylindrical collar 9, threaded 5 Fig. 2 is a double transverse section, the at its upper end as at 1'? to engage threads upper halrn heing taken on line `a-a, and the in the coupling memher 8, the latter having lower half on line b-b of Fig. 1. an inwardly extending flange 16 at its upper Figs. 3 and l are sectional and perspective end. This flange 16 is adapted to engage a views respectively, of the float control mechashoulder on the periphery of a cylindrical 50 nism at right angles to each other. disk member 7, secured to the container C,

whereby said container is held in place on the tank. Y

rlhis container consists of a` base member B, and a cap or cover A adapted to be secured together by means of two adjacent flanges through which a plurality of screws O are adapted to be inserted.

1 represents an insulating disk inthe bottom of the base B, to which l secure a serie of contacts 37 as clearly shown in Fi'. 2. These contacts are arranged in tie form of a circle on the upper surface of said disk l, their inner ends being bent upwardly to form the outer race for the ball member 39', hereinafter referred to more in detail.

Adjacent the contacts 37, and within the circle formed thereby, l provide contacts 38, which form the inner race for said ball member 39.V rlhe contacts 3? are made adjustable on the disk 1 by means of slots i7 in said disk, through which screws are adapted to be inserted to hold the contacts place. The outer end of the contacts 3'? are flared as shown in Fig. 2 and loosely support the lower ends of conta springs l1 which extend upwardly therefrom between the insulating walls 2 in said base member, said flared portions allowing for adjustments of the contacts laterally, without affecting their4 connection with said springs.

ln the lower portion of the cap l, l insert an insulating ring 3, in which are secured a. plurality of contacts and binding posts .l0 adjacent the respective contacts 37 in the base member, and'adapted to be placed in electrical contact therewith by means of plugs Gl which engage the upper ends of said springs e1. These. binding posts are arranged in circuits by a plurality of resistance coils 61. Extending acioss the center of this ring 3, is a cross bar 34 apertured intermediate its ends to receive an adjusting thumb screw 35, which will be hereinafter referred to.

18 represents a. cylindrical protector or yoke support, flanged outwardly at its upper extremity to engage the upper edge of the rtank collar 9, when said yoke support and yoke 10 secured to the lower end thereof, ar inserted 1n said tank. le designates a vertically extending shaft rotatably supported in said yoke and engaging said thumb screw 3.5 at its upper extremity, and an adjusting bearing 25 at the lower end of said yoke at its lower extremity. At the upper end of'this shaft 11i, which is insulated to avoid short circuit, l provider au arm 36 which supports the rotating ball 39, heretofore referred to. Just above the lower end of the shaft lll, l secure a beveled gear 6 which is adjustably mounted thereon by means of a set screw 24, said bevel gear 6 being adapted to operatively engage another bevel gear 5 mounted in the lower end of said yoke 10, at right angles to said gear 6, as clearly shown in Fig. d. At the outer end of the short horizontal shaft which supports the bevel gear 5, l secure a float rod 28 having at its lower extremity afloat 29, and at its upper extremity, a counter weight 30, whereby when said float is raised or lowered, in said tank, the rod 28 will operate the bevel gear 5 which in turn will cause the bevel gear 6 to rotate and with it the shaft 14: to revolve the arm 36 carrying the ball 39 around the ball races 3?' and 38.

ln order to prevent the gases from the tank T escaping upwardly along the shaft lll, into the electrical Contact container C, l provide mercury seal which consists of a mercury container' 12, secured to the base B of the container. ylhe bottom of this container extends upwardly therein into a tube 107 as clearly shown in Fig. lll, being open at its upper extremity, to allow such shaft le to pass upwardly therethrough. 13 represents another tube closed at its upper extremity except for an aperture through which the shaft 1l passes, and open at its lower extremity at 110, whereby the saine may be inserted in said container 12, surrounding the upwardly extending tube 10'?, the lower end of said tube 13 being submerged in the liquid in said container, rEhe mercuryKY container 12 and the inverted cup or tube 13 may be composed of glass, composition or other suitable material for withstand g the eects of mercury, and it will be noted that the aperture in the closed end of the tube 13 is drilled a size which will make a forced fit upon the shaft 141, to insure a perfect seal. 53 represents a felt washer interposed between the upper end o" the tube 13 and the container C, whiley 76 is a similar washer mounted within the tube 13 where the saine the upper edge of the upwardly extending tube 10i of the container 12.

ln 1, F represents a bell or signal mounted in the container C and in electrical connection with the device, whereby when the tank is about 'to become empty, the circuit will be closed to ring the bell warning the driver, as will be hereinafter referred to. D represents a cover plate for'the cap of the container which may be removed when desired 'to gain access to the electrical parts of the device. 5e represents a socket in the side wall of the cap A. through which the wires 55, 56and 57 are adapted to be inserted, and retained in place.

The operation of my device is as follows, referring to Figs. 8 and 2, which, together show the wiring plan 'of the assuming that there are fteen different contacts 37, each representing one gallon of gasoline or other liquid. As heretofore stated, the changing of the liquid level in the tank, causes the float Q9 to rise and fall, thus rotating the shaft Maand with it the` arm 36 which causes the ball 39 to revolve around the contact races 33T an" ln the position 90 sexh GO, shown in Fig. 2, the ball 39 being in contact with the secondV contact of the circuit would CTL lil

indicate that there were two gallons of gasoline in the tank, and at the same time, it would energize the line leading to the bell l2, to warn the operator of the vehicle that the gasoline in the tank was getting low. As the tank is filled the ball 39 will rotate around the contacts until it reaches the contacts designate-.l by the number 60, which will energize the bell 71 to warn the station operator that the tank is nearly full. As the car is driven and the gasoline level lowers, the ball will rotate in the reverse direction, and as it engages each contact 37, liroughout its revolution, the quantity of gasoline in the tank will be indicated on the meter.

rlhc structures shown in Figs. 18 and 19 are intended for use in large tanks such as storage tanks and filling station tanks, and while the oreraticn and construction of the device shown here, are practically the same as those heretoforedescribed, there are several modifications in the details of construction. For instance, instead of the protector 18 and the yoke 10, a heavy casing G is employed for isupportinv the working parts of the device and pr tectine' the mercury container. This casing G is lrovided towards its upper end with apertures S4 to permit the adjustment of the rod which connects the shaft 14 with 'the arm 35 supporting the rotating ball 39.

From the foregoing it is believed that my invention may be clearly understood without further description, it being borne in that numerous changes may be made details of construction without departnn the spirit of the invention as eX- in the following claims.

L lVhat l claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is n 1. An electric liquid gauge, comprising a float operated rotary shaft, one end of which projects into a container, a series of electrical contacts in said container, means on said shaft for completing the circuit between said contacts, and a liquid seal surrounding said shaft, for preventing the leakage of vapors into said container, said liquid seal comprising a ring-shaped container of mercury resisting material, having integral inner and outer walls, said inner walls extending upwardly from the bottom in the form of a tube, open at its upper end and adapted to surround said rotary shaft, an inverted cup of similar material tightly secured at its upper end around said shaft, and adapted to be inserted in said container, over said tube, its lower end being submerged in the liquid in said container to seal the shaft.

2. An electric liquid gauge as claimed in claim 1, wherein said ring-shaped container and inverted cup are composed of glass, and a protector for said container.

3. An electric liquid gauge comprising a float operated rotary shaft carried in a suppoiV g yoke, the upper end of said shaft projecting into a container, the other end being mounted in a vertically adjustable bearing, provided at the lower extremity of said yoke, a series of electrical contacts in said container, means on said shaft for completing the circuit between said contacts, and a liquid seal surrounding said shaft for preventing the leakage of vapors into said container.

4. In an electric liquid gauge comprising a float operated rotary shaft, one end of which projects into a casing, a base member and cover for Said casing, an insulating disc in said base member supporting a plurality of contacts, means for adjusting said contacts on said disc, an insulating member in said cover provided with a plurality of binding posts arranged in circuit with each adjacent `one of said contacts, said binding posts being provided with plugs, adapted to engage sockets in said base member in electrical communication with said contacts for connecting said binding posts with the respective contacts, and means operable by said rotary shaft, engaging said contacts for making and breaking the circuit.

5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 4 wherein said contacts are flared at their outer ends, connections loosely engaging said flared portions at one end and adapted to receive plugs at the other end, said plugs being secured to said binding posts.

Apparatus as claimed in claim 4 wherein said contacts are flared at their outer ends, spring connections loosely engaging said fiared portions at one end and adapted to receive plugs at the other end, said plugs being secured to said binding posts.

In testimony whereof I aiX my signature.

VLLIAM H. BLAKELY. 

